Topic 1.

5 The Sunnah

a) the importance for Muslims of the

teachings, deeds and sayings of the
Prophet

Sunnah are the actions performed by Prophet(SAW) in his whole lifetime

and is a second source of knowledge and laws for Muslims after Quran

1. Guidance: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent as

a messenger of Allah to guide humanity. His teachings, deeds, and
sayings provide guidance on how to live a righteous life and please
Allah.He provided legal guidance on various issues not mentioned in
the Quran, such as inheritance laws, marriage, and divorce. His
teachings and sayings serve as a source of Islamic jurisprudence and
provide Muslims with a framework for resolving legal issues.
2. Role Model: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is
considered the perfect role model for Muslims to follow. His
character, actions, and words serve as an example for Muslims to
emulate in their daily lives.
3. Elaboration of the Quran: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) received the Quranic revelation and was its primary interpreter.
His teachings and sayings provide context and interpretation of the
Quranic verses, helping Muslims understand the true meaning of the
text.
b) the recording of the Sunnah

measures taken to declare that a Hadith is Authentic

Ans Hadith must fulfill these conditions to be fully declared reliable or
authentic which includes,Firstly The narrators should be an adult Muslim
with a strong memory,their character should be acknowledged by the
people,they should be pious and they should have never told a lie or do a
major sin.Secondly,the text should not be against the Holy Quran or Any
Hadith,it should not contain any grammatical errors.Thirdly,the
companions,the followers and the successors must accept them as reliable

the types of Hadith Nabwi as per authenticity

Ans There are four types of Hadith as per authenticity which includes
1. Sahih(The Most authentic): These are absolutely correct
Hadith,having no weakness in its chain of transmission and the text.
2. Hasan(Approved/good): These Hadith are quite authentic and reliable
however they are lower in status because having weakness in its
chain
3. Daeef(The Weak): These Hadith have some problem in their chain of
transmission because the narrator might had a weak memory,he
might have been a liar and its content differs from Islamic teachings
4. Mau’doo(The Fabricated) : It is a completely false hadith,which is
made up by a liar and it is completely different from Islamic teachings

the 4 Hadith as per authority

There are 4 types of Hadith which can be identified as per the final
authority
1. Qudsi-Divine = A revelation from Allah,related with the words of
Prophet(SAW)
2. Marfu-elevated = a narration from Holy Prophet(SAW)
3. Mauquf-stopped = a narration from a companion only
4. Maqtu’-severed = a narration from a successor
Difference between Hadith Qudsi and Hadith Nabwi
Hadith Qudsi = These are the Hadith which are statements of Allah ,told by
the Prophet(SAW).They are in a short number.They are only sayings and
have topics regarding man and god relationships,hereafter and Tauhid.
Hadith Nabwi = These are the statements of Prophet(SAW).They are more
than a 100,000.They have a wide range of topic which mostly mentions
about the the ways to live a good life.They can be sayings or actions

6 authentic books of Hadith

1. Sahi Bukhari
2. Sahi Muslim
3. Sunan Abu Daud
4. Jam’e Tirmidhi
5. Sunan Nasai
6. Sunan Inb Majah

chain of narrators(isnad)
Ans the Isnad is known as the chain of narrators who narrate the hadith,the
chain is formed when the companions narrated the hadith,then Tabaeen
who saw them narrated and then it was narrated to Taba Tabieen.This
continuous chain from generation to generation is known as chain of
narrators.These all narrators should be adult Muslims having a strong
memory.they must be known for their knowledge,truthfulness and they
should not have told any lie or commit a crime in their whole lifetime

Compilation of Hadith
Ans During the Life of Prophet(SAW) the Muslims did not felt the need to
record or preserve any hadith because Holy Prophet(SAW) was their to
help them,whenever they face any difficulty they consult Prophet(SAW) and
correct themselves.During the time when Islam was new and Quran was
still being revealed ,Prophet(SAW) prevented writing down the Hadith as he
feared the Muslims might get mixed up with the Quran and the Sunnah but
later agreed when Quran revelation was completed.The Literature of the
Hadith was preserved mostly in the memory and the hearts of the
companions,however some of the traditions were written down and
recorded.Thus the companions started recording hadith and preserved the
most important ones but not all the traditions were collected or compiled in
a book form.Then the age of Tabain came,who saw the companions They
devoted their entire lives to collecting traditions from different centres of
learning, with the result that a large number of traditions were preserved.
Now it became possible to collect several memoirs in larger volumes.Then
the Age of followers of companions successors came which was a golden
age in Hadith literature,in this age The authentic traditions were very
carefully and painstakingly sifted from the “weak” traditions and then these
were compiled in book-form.Elaborate rules were framed, canons were
devised to distinguish the true from the false traditions in accordance with
clear principles.This is the period in which 6 authentic books were compiled

the Relationship between Quran and Sunnah

Ans Holy Quran is a holy book revealed by Allah through
Prophet(SAW),while sunnah are the actions performed by
Prophet(SAW),they both are essentially related as Sunnah comes next to
Quran and Sunnah is the further elaboration of Quran.They both are
combined main sources of Islam and a complete source of guidance and
laws for Muslims.The Holy Quran cannot be followed without consulting
Sunnah,if we take an example of Prayers,Quran commands us to pray but
doesnt gives us instructions for it,however these instructions has been
taught by ProphetSAW) as he says,”Pray as you see me praying”.

Obey Allah and the messenger

c) the role of the Sunnah in the

establishment of Islamic belief
and practice
Sunnah are the actions performed by Prophet(SAW) in his whole lifetime
and have a wide importance in a muslim’s life as Sunnah and Quran are
interrelated,
1. Elaboration of Holy Quran: Sunnah is the further elaboration and a
good explanation of Holy Quran.It helps Muslims understand how to
apply Quranic teachings in their daily lives by providing practical
examples from the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him).
2. Religious practice: The Sunnah is a complete source of guidance for
muslims as it provides guidance on religious practices such as
prayers,fasting and pilgrimage.For e.g Quran commands us to pray
but doesn't give us instructions for it,however these instructions have
been taught to us by Holy Prophet(SAW) as he says “Pray as you see
me praying
3. Moral Guidance: The Sunnah provides moral guidance by
demonstrating the ethical values and principles that Muslims should
follow in their personal and social lives. The Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) life is an excellent role model for all muslims to
follow